SINGAPORE - Businesses and their customers in Singapore can look forward to improved delivery times and lower costs, thanks to a new partnership between supply chain platform Pickupp and Stellar Lifestyle, the business arm of transport operator SMRT.
Pickupp said on Thursday that a memorandum of understanding was signed between the two companies on Sept 1, which will allow the courier and express delivery firm to utilise SMRT’s network to place its service points more strategically.
Mr Lee Chee Meng, Pickupp’s co-chief operations officer, said the partnership with Stellar Lifestyle would reinforce his company’s commitment to sustainability by streamlining delivery routes, increasing revenue for delivery agents, and allowing businesses to improve their cost management.
He said: “A crucial part of this plan is to expand our network as a service in Singapore by extending our Pickupp service points islandwide to optimise and enhance our fulfilment network.
“With the burgeoning demand for deliveries in Singapore and beyond, our focus at Pickupp is not only to solve logistical inefficiencies in an asset-light approach using data, but also in a way that’s sustainable for businesses and the environment.”
The first of these service points is located at innovation space Hive by Stellar Lifestyle, which was opened at Esplanade MRT station on Thursday.
Hive by Stellar Lifestyle will house a content studio to help brands engage with their customers, and a demo kitchen to help nurture local food and beverage entrepreneurs, among other tools aimed at helping retail start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) innovate and grow their business.
The Pickupp service point at Esplanade MRT will be available for retailers in Marina Square, South Beach, Suntec City and Citylink to utilise.
Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, who spoke at the launch of Hive by Stellar Lifestyle, said: “Start-ups are an important driver of innovation and enterprise in our economy... The retail innovation centre will serve as a curated platform for retail start-ups and SMEs to test out and validate new business concepts, and encourage digital transformation of retailers.”
Mr Tony Heng, president of Stellar Lifestyle, said: “Hive by Stellar Lifestyle will support SMEs by introducing and validating new innovations that can help them become more operationally resilient, while creating new in-store experiences to entice more customers.
“Even as more people gradually return to work and engage in face-to-face social interactions, retailers and F&B operators must adapt to the new realities of higher operational costs, greater competition and continued manpower shortages.”
Correction note: An earlier version of this story stated that the MOU was signed between SMRT and Pickupp on Thursday at the Hive by Stellar Lifestyle innovation lab. This is inaccurate. The MOU was signed between Stellar Lifestyle and Pickupp on Sept 1. We are sorry for the error.
